A very wishy-washy album. It has a harder rocking sound which I generally appreciate with Paul/Wings work but the material and the writing is pretty lame. Err here goes...

ReceptionDeputy Sheriff? The bassline is cool, the radio effects are awful and WTF is that syth doing there? It's way too loud and sounds very out of place.

Getting CloserWas this aimed at John and Yoko? Whatever. Voice is good as has been said, as for his best I don't think so. Dislike the choppy guitars during the chorus. Could do without the coda, it gets all noisy. I read a review once which said this was warmed over "Jet" and I can see where they're coming from. This does very little for me I'm afraid. I don't like the drummer.

We're Open TonightInsipid. Warmed over Venus and Mars. It's like Paul realised he'd been trying to be too contemporary and punky and needed an acoustic number in there somewhere. A couple of nothing verses then some ooo's thank fook it doesn't last long.

Spin It OnI can't stand this song, it's annoying as hell. The drums I dislike again the shuffle sounds cheap, the words mean nothing to me, it's all a bit dizzy and not really there. The guitars sound good but that can't lift this from being a bit pappy.

Again and Again and AgainTiresome, yawn, this whole album sounds incredibly uninspired. Paul McCartney and Wings going through the motions and sounding like a dead end.

Old Siam, SirFinally a decent riff and Linda came up with it a few years previously when Wings were actually good. The words again are nothing, it starts to try telling a story but Paul gets bored and doesn't end up finishing it off, pity. With a little pruning and better words this could've been a hit I'm sure. Oh yeah, where was the big hit off of this album? Unfortunately the singles ball was dropped with Back to the Egg. It really is a rotten album. I don't like the drums either, they sound so awkward and detract from my overall enjoyment of this song. But it's a bit better.

Arrow Through MeCheese disco balls pap. Makes me want to puke. Sounds like Shakatak or whomever that group was in the early 80's, they made a living out of this chucka-chucka-chucka nonsense, Steve Holly again shows that he's technically proficient (I guess) but I can't stand it. Horrible.

Rockestra ThemeA gang of talented musicians and Steve Holly plop out a big fat turd. A waste of time, given the people involved it should've been somethng at least to remember. It's forgettable, ham fisted and over played.

To YouWhat exactly? This is nice enough I guess, the intro is inviting but it's not much of a song, the synths don't sit very well and I'm bored before the fade out. Blah.

After The Ball/Million MilesPaul finally writes a song with feeling. This would've been a great finnish to an album if it was on a great album. Holly does alot better and the organ and bass are great. Nice guitars which bleed into an accordion, with the gospel Million Miles. It's a good funeral song. That's better Paul.

Winter Rose/Love AwakeThis could've and should've been the best one on the album, actually it probably still is. Haunting melody, Paul is singing with phlegm in his throat and it works. Is that a harmonium? Whatever it is it's very nice indeed. Probably needed a killer middle eight. Love Awake is pretty average fluff.

The BroadcastUtter sh*te.

So Glad To See You HereSee "Rockestra Theme". At least it's an attempt at a real song.

Baby's RequestIt's nice enough. I prefer the 2012 version.

Overall a very poor outing. This group thing was getting tired, Wings should've been put out to pasture after London Town. It didn't take Paul long to rectify this. McCartney 2 is a far more interesting and cohesive work. It's daring, fresh and inspired. Back To The Egg is tired, boring, uninspired and punk-pretensious. Bring on the 80's!

Reception - An instrumental that is suppose to give this album a concept feel. I think the radio sounds and the opera ones are suppusedly heard from Earth, while the rest of the song sounds like a journey to it. But of course, I'm reading too much into it, and let's not forget, this is still McCartney (not saying it as a bad thing). While not long enough to bore you, this is still pretty unnecessary and can be regarded as filler.

Getting Closer - That's more like it. A great catchy rocker with great bass and drums work. I'm not a big fan of Paul singing in that goofy voice accompanied by the silly backing vocals (like at 1:17 - 1:30) but a good performance and song overall. Also, I am too a fan of the chaotic ending.

We're Open Tonight - Great acoustic song. Excellent McCartney vocals wheather he sings, harmnonises or hums. I like the bongos (?) at 0:32 (and 0:54 again) that seem to be passing from the left channel to the right one. Pleaseant tune, but I'd certainly wish they would've made it longer.

Spin It On - An angry, spontaneous song that has always been kind of neutral to me. If there is one thing I like, it's definitely the guitar. The drumming starting at 0:11 is pretty cool, too. McCartney's delivery is definitely suitable for the song's atmosphere. I've never been a big fan, but it's decent enough.

Again and Again and Again - I've always enjoyed this one. For what it is, it works. Love it when McCartney joins Denny. I kind of like the guitar solo and the organ being played in the background. The repeated "again and again and again and again..." at the end gets annoying and I certainly could do without that. Not a very strong song, but for a Denny written and sung song it's better than I first expected.

Old Siam, Sir - Amazing song. The guitar-driven intro is excellent. The keyboards riff is great. The climax at 1:05 may as well be the best moment on the whole album. At 2:15 there's a weird sound going on in the background (mainly in the right channel) which lasts for about 15 seconds until the next climax arrives. Anyone knows what is it? Paul's shouting is very powerful, souding a bit like he did 10 years before in 'Oh! Darling'. It may as well be the best song on the album.

Arrow Through Me - Another great one. Love the synth riff. It does give it a disco feeling, though it's certainly not as disco as 'Goodnight Tonight'. Incredible harmonies at 1:40. What I've always liked about this song is the contrast between the first and the second choruses. On the first one, McCartney sings in a falsetto voice (0:41), while the second time around (1:59) he sounds completely different, almost like his vocie is about to crack at times. Great horn sections and great use of reverb (as Bobber mentioned), giving McCartney's voice a spacey feeling. One of my personal favourites.

Rockestra Theme - I like the idea of doing these kind of unfinished instrumental jams and McCartney seems to be enjoying it very much, weather he does them all by himself (McCartney I and II) or with such big names as here. But sometimes I do wish he'd finish them. I think this would've worked better with a set of lyrics. It's enjoyable, and I love the piano licks, especially at 0:54 and 1:42 (Paul? or maybe John Paul Jones?) and the ending is good (even with Paul's silly vocals), but in my opinion, it could've been better.

After The Ball/Million Miles - A suite of 4 ballads, grouped in 2 songs, starting with this one. It's a pretty emotional ballad, maybe because of Paul's soulful performance. The lyrics are pretty good, too. Weird guitar lick at 1:02, but it works. The song builds itself up slowly, finally descending into a guitar solo which connects it with the next number, 'Million Miles', which sounds just boring and uninspired. It's not extremely bad, it's just not going anywhere. Paul's voice is good, but the accordion ruins the song in my opinion. All in all, the first song is great, the second mediocre at best.

Winter Rose/Love Awake - I'm a big fan of the first song here, so I'll do my best to defend it. First of all, I really enjoy the atmosphere : very mystical. The harmonies starting at 0:09 are heavenly. I wish they'd carry throughout the whole song. Paul's voice does sound a bit hoarse, but I do like it. I don't know, to me, he sounds like a desperate, powerless man hoping for that "winter rose" to bring some light into his life. I am probably reading too much into it, and I don't think McCartney was trying to sound like that, but that's how I've always seen it. At 0:55 the chorus sounds great. The second song is not as good, but still decent enough. It's a nice pop song, with not much else to add.

The Broadcast - Same as 'Reception'.

So Glad To See You Here - The exact kick the album needed after 'The Broadcast'. Awesome rocker. 1:01 not too keen on the backing "Carry on, carry on". The 'We're Open Tonight' reprise is enjoyable enough. Good song, definitely better than 'Rockestra Theme'.

Baby's Request - I've never been a jazz fan, but I think this is a nice, mellow tune. At 1:42 I like the horns. The piano sounds great throughout. Good song and a worthy album closer.

All in all, while not as good as 'Band on the Run' or 'Venus and Mars', I think 'Back to the Egg' is a worthy swan song for Wings.

P.S. I struggled with this review and it didn't turn out to be as inspired as I expected. Anyway, I haven't heard any McCartnney solo stuff that came after this, until 'Chaos and Creation In The Backyard'. So, I'll try to listen and participate on each one of them. Keep it up !

I know you dont care for Holly (still not sure why) and you've been on him for the duration, but I have to ask you Ollie, how in the hell are you picking out his drumming to rate it as being a big fat turd? Are you sure it wasnt Bohnam or Kenny Jones instead? Sorry but that was a WTF comment to me.

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McCartney 2 is a far more interesting and cohesive work. It's daring, fresh and inspired. Back To The Egg is tired, boring, uninspired and punk-pretensious. Bring on the 80's!

Realizing everybody has different tastes, but its still mind boggling how somebody would prefer McCartney doing his best Depeche Mode over one of his hardest rocking albums ever. Oh well.

I knew you'd pick up on that, it was just me being silly really. I don't like his drumming, the change of tempo in the verse of Old Siam, Sir just sounds awkward to me, it doesn't jel with the rest of the group. I think he's the only drummer that Paul has worked with where he has had to play alongside a drum machine called Robbo for a live performance, I'm not saying that says much, I'm just saying. Denny Laine later admitted that there were "musical issues" in this line-up which led to them being disbanded. I'm also afraid that the hard rocking aspect of the album doesn't compensate for the relatively poor song writing throughout.

It's not allowed to be reprinted and yes there's no evidence that John said that.

Except the evidence of actually listening to the album, where any level headed person (who isn't looking through rose-tinted spectacles at some long lost youth or completely p*ssed out of their skull) will certainly come to a similar conclusion.

Except the evidence of actually listening to the album, where any level headed person (who isn't looking through rose-tinted spectacles at some long lost youth or completely p*ssed out of their skull) will certainly come to a similar conclusion.

Back To The Egg was the album that made me decide to no longer buy McCartney albums as a matter of course.*To his credit though, I think he was very aware of the new wave scene, and is his want, decided to have a bash. (look at the video for Spin it On - all "spontaneous" hand held camera and angry Johny rotten faces. Nice try mate, but you're too old). But I have to agree with others - what was supposed to sound brash and exciting sounds plodding and dated to me.

*To level the playing field, Double Fantasy did exactly the same for my Lennon buying habit. At least I guess Paul tried to stay current. To be honest by then both of them were running out of steam (as were The Stones, the Who, Clapton, Pink Floyd, Dylan etc.)They all had had their day in the sun.

At least John admitted as much. He was making music for 40 year olds. Paul was attempting to bridge the gap between Baby-boomer and Punk/New wave and falling flat on his sagging facial features. After he put out McCartney II (which I commend because it's almost as if he didn't give a) and John's murder he seemed to play it safe in the hands of George Martin for a few years. The Broadstreet film is very self-indulgent "Ain't I great" it's almost like he's trying to kiss goodbye to the past in some way or another. Press To Play is a marvelous document of a mid-life crisis. By 1986 it was too late, like he was trying to make a comeback appealing to the sythersiser gated-drum youth commercial when he'd only just been touting Ebony and Ivory, Pipes of Peace and We All Stand Together. It was over-kill, by 1989 the cycle is complete and he's playing his Beatle show to millions all over the world. Well done.

Flowers is alright, Off The Ground is utter sh*te. Pie is fair, Chaos is the best thing since Band On The Run... I hope he's got at least one more album that will at least make a challenge to my senses, something to get my teeth into.

I agree with you here Ollie. After reading Kevin and your posts, I was thinking about how Paul tries to stay hip and fit in and then I thought of Chaos. I like Chaos so much because I think its an honest album. Nigel let Paul have one song for self indulgence' sake (A Fine Line) and then brought the reins in on him. There's no masterpieces on the album by any stretch, but all the tunes were decent to very strong. Great adult contemporary album.

I disagree with you on 'Flaming Pie' though and 'Off The Ground'. I thought 'Flaming Pie' was excellent and probably my second favorite Paul album ever. 'Off The Ground' might be his most underrated.

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I hope he's got at least one more album that will at least make a challenge to my senses, something to get my teeth into.

I do too, but I dont think its going to come in the form of a pop/rock album. Sadly, i've been looking forward to the ballet music he's supposed to be doing. That would challenge my senses.